Noah's Revenge
by KaniShikamaru
Summary: He had it. He lost it. Now it's time to get it back!
1. Family Portrait

1 Family Portrait

//All your insults and your curses//

//Make me feel like I'm not a person//

//And I feel like I am nothing//

//But you made me so do something//

Staind—"For You"

Nemuriko Campbell often stared hard at the Nemuriko family portrait, which hung above the television in the living room, wishing her family could be as happy as they looked in the picture.

Mr. and Mrs. Nemuriko stood together with Campbell and her twin brother Midian just in front of them. All four were smiling. Campbell sighed.

*Why can't things be like they were...before? If Midian hadn't been hit by a car...*

****

"Why the_ hell_ did you _waste_ our money so...so foolishly?!" demanded Mrs. Nemuriko. "We needed it to pay Midian's hospital bill!"

Mr. Nemuriko scowled. _"Waste_ it?!" I merely _invested_ it...in Kaiba Corporation! That company shows promise, Mila. If we play our cards right, our money will _expand_ from my employment there; more that enough to pay Midian's bill ten times over! And we can _move out_ of this old apartment!"

"But what if Kaiba Corp _fails?!"_ Mrs. Nemuriko inquired. "The bill will go unpaid! We'll be evicted! Does that make no sense to you, Akiro?!"

"Mila...you worry too much."

"You call caring for our financial stability 'worrying'?!"

Down the hall in the living room, Nemuriko Campbell heard every word. *Mother and Father have been fighting...about money...every since Midian got hit by a car. God, make them quit!*

Just then, the front door opened. Campbell made herself grin.

"Onichan!" she exclaimed as Midian entered the apartment. Her smile disappeared when she saw the look on the ten-year-old's face. "What's wrong? Where have you _been?!"_

Midian flopped onto the sofa with a sigh. "School," he muttered sulkily.

Although Cambell and Midian were twins, they were as alike as day and night. Campbell's hair was short, dark blond, and her eyes were silvery-blue. Midian, on the other hand, had deep gray eyes and silky jet-black hair. Campbell was a child prodigy. Midian was a troublemaker.

The two did have one thing in common. They both loved video and computer games, and played many sports.

"What'dja get in trouble for?" Campbell asked. "Let me guess...you beat up Meikai Ryumi?"

Midian started. "How'd you know?" he asked sullenly.

Campbell sat beside her brother. "It was obvious," she said with a shrug. "Besides, I _am_ a genius."

Midian grinned and threw a pillow in her direction. "Ryumi practically _asked_ for it, imouto."

The twins' parents' shouts echoed into the living room. Midian glanced towards their closed door. "How long have they been arguing?"

"I don't know," Campbell replied quietly. "Before I came home...I guess."

Midian scowled fiercely, running a hand through his limp hair. "This is all my fault," he muttered. "Now, ever since I got out of the hospital, they've been fighting about Kaiba Corp and the stupid..._stupid_ hospital bill!"

Campbell sighed. "It wasn't your fault, Midian-kun."

Her brother scoffed. "Yeah, right. A car runs over me, shatters half my body and sticks me in the hospital for two months. Two months! Now is that my fault or what?!"

Just then, their parents' door opened and slammed. Mr. and Mrs. Nemuriko stormed towards the front door, where they stood exchanging insults like a couple of kids. Mrs. Nemuriko finally turned and left with a defiant shout.

Mr. Nemuriko stood at the open door for a while, staring at the wall in deep thought. Then, with a nod to Midian and Campbell, he was gone.

****

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Midian. "Father's here, but Mom _still_ hasn't come!"

Campbell curled up on the sofa, her eyes darkening.

"Onichan?" she whispered after a few minutes.

"Hai."

Campbell shut her eyes. "I'm scared. What if...Mother...never...comes...back?"

Midian glared at his sister. "Don't say that!"

A knock sounded on the door. "I'll get it," Midian called. He was confronted by a police officer.

"This is the residence of Nemuriko Akiro?" the man asked shortly.

Midian nodded. "Hai."

"Is your father home?"

"Yes, sir. I'll get him. Midian ran off, and quickly reappeared with Mr. Nemuriko behind him, looking worried.

"Is there a problem, Officer?" he asked.

The policeman sighed and spoke awkwardly. "Yes...there is. Nemuriko-san, your wife...Nemuriko Mila...was in a...a fatal car crash."

"Is she-"

The man looked down. "I'm sorry, Nemuriko."

Mr. Nemuriko nodded grimly. "Thank you," he said quietly.

****

A week after the funeral, Campbell entered school, not wanting to live. *If Mother and Father hadn't argued, Mom wouldn't have left...and she wouldn't have been hit by a car.*

"Campbell-san..."

Campbell glanced up. She smiled faintly. "Ohayo, Seto-san."

Ten-year-old Kaiba Seto sat at his desk beside her. "I heard what happened," he began.

"Everyone has," Campbell snapped. "Could we just _forget it?!"_

Seto was taken aback. "Gomen," he muttered.

Campbell closed her eyes and sighed. "I didn't mean it that way, Seto. It's just that…well, so much has been happening. I've been transferred to this advanced school to 'challenge my accelerated mind', Midian got hit by a car...and now...this..." She lowered her head to her desk.

Seto was silent. "I hate to tell you this, Campbell, but...I have more bad news."

"Speak," Campbell said sarcastically, not raising her head. "I've heard the news of my mother's death...I can bear _any_ bad news."

"Last night, I heard Gozaburo and your father talking about moving...to America."

Campbell sat up straight. "What!" She turned to her friend. "Seto, tell me you're kidding!"

Seto shook his head. "I'm not. Gozaburo wants to start a Western branch of Kaiba Corporation. He's big on expansion. Nemuriko-san sounded like he would go."

"My _god_..." The girl felt like crying. "I don't want to leave.


	2. Moving

2 Moving

//Help me figure out why I'm stuck in the middle//

//Trying to understand why I can't//

//Why you're such a riddle//

//Got my eyes crossed//

//I'm thinking so hard and I know I'm missing the mark//

Nick Carter—"Help Me"

"Midian?" Nemuriko Campbell knocked on her older brother's door.

"What?" Midian opened the door.

"Are we _really_ moving to...America?"

Midian rolled his eyes. "Didn't Father explain it to you?"

Campbell shook her head. "Iie. He never tells me anything." She brushed aside a strand of dark blond hair. "Well?"

"Don't get me wrong, Campbell. I don't want to move, either. But Father has his ways." Midian sighed. "This is what he told me..."

****

Campbell slowly walked into the cafeteria, oblivious to the laughter and chatter all around her. She was thinking over what her older brother had said.

Her father had always been rather strange since her mother's death. Campbell had learned to expect the unexpected from them. But _America...!_ Although her father and many of her relatives were American, Campbell had lived in Japan all her life! Why did Gozaburo Kaiba have to send _her_ family...out of the hundreds that Kaiba Corp employed ...to America _just_ to develop another branch of the corporation?!

Ah, yes. Kaiba Corporation. The company her father had gotten rich from. Mr. Nemuriko knew Gozaburo Kaiba well, and often said that she and Midian should work there, "to put your 'accelerated' minds to good use." Sometimes Campbell hated being a child prodigy.

The only good part about her father's ties to Kaiba Corp was that she got to see Gozaburo's adopted sons, with whom she and Midian quickly became close friends.

Campbell rapidly scanned the lunchroom, her silvery-blue eyes searching for one person...she almost smiled.

"Konnichiwa, Seto-san."

Kaiba Seto raised his eyes from the small table at which he sat. "Konnichiwa."

Campbell sat across from him and put her head in her hands.

"What's wrong?" the eleven-year-old boy asked.

"I'm moving..." The girl's voice dropped to a whisper. "...tomorrow."

"What!" Seto's eyes widened. "So soon? But I thought..." The boy scowled scowled. "I _hate_ Gozaburo."

Campbell scoffed. "You thought I didn't realize that? He seems rather.harsh."

The brown-haired boy rose from his seat. "That's an understatement." Campbell was silent.

"Look," she said finally. "I gotta go." She stood. "My father wants me to help pack. I...won't be in school tomorrow."

Seto sighed. "Sayonara, Campbell. I'm...going to miss you."

Campbell nodded. "Sayonara," she whispered, turning away to hide her tear-filled eyes. "I...hope I see you again." With that, she was gone.

Seto stared after her. Ever since Gozaburo had adopted him and his brother, Campbell had been his best friend. They had so much in common. Not only were the two both child prodigies, but they also shared a fierce passion for Duel Monsters. Seto and Campbell had even gone as far as building interdependent decks. They had been inseparable.

Now that Campbell was leaving, Seto felt very much alone. But he told himself he didn't care. After all, he was used to loneliness.

****

Fifteen year old Nemuriko Campbell quickly folded her last shirt. She allowed herself a tight grin. Several days ago, her father had told her that they were moving back to Japan. Part of her was excited about seeing Domino City again...but the other part of her wondered about seeing Kaiba Seto.

"Campbell." The girl's twin brother appeared at her door. "Father says the limo's ready. C'mon! It's an hour drive to the airport."

Campbell nodded and zipped her suitcase shut. "Okay, I'm ready."

****

A big screen computer stood in the middle of the room's far end. Smaller coms flanked it on either side. A network of wires lay under it all. The computer monitors were blank, waiting to be used. All in all, the room was everything a computer master could wish for.

Kaiba Seto clicked on the huge computer. He grinned slightly. This was his favorite room in Kaiba Corporation. After all, it was where he created and updated all his technology.

Seto impatiently began typing. There was to be an upload of Duel Monster data to Kaibaland, and tests needed to be run.

As he typed, Seto suddenly found himself thinking of Nemuriko Campbell. It had been almost five years since he had last seen her, and he wondered what she was doing in America, now that the Western branch of Kaiba Corp was well-developed. Although Seto never would have admitted it, he rather missed her.

An hour later, the work was nearly done. Just a few more modifications, then…

Abruptly, and before he could react, Seto felt a hand on his shoulder. A strangely familiar voice spoke up.

"I figured I'd find you here, Seto-san."

Seto spun around. His eyes widened. "No way!" he gasped. "Campbell!"

The girl grinned. "I hear _you_ run Kaiba Corp now," she said playfully.

Seto rose from his seat. "When did you get here?" he asked, controlling his excitement.

"Just today." Campbell tossed her blond head. "My father's busy with something, and Midian's unpacking, so I snuck out to see you."

Seto didn't speak. He looked into Campbell's silvery-blue eyes for the longest time. Her formerly shoulder-length dark-blond hair had grown to the middle of her back. It was kept back in a band. She wore a blue shirt that matched her eyes under a half-zipped, black leather jacket. Her pants were black leather, and her shoes were black lined with red.

"Campbell," he finally said. "How'd you know I was here? And how'd you get past my security systems?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Mokuba doesn't lie. And I _am_ a genius too, ya know." She turned towards the door. "That code was rather hard to crack, though. You changed it?"

"Hai." Seto nodded. "Gozaburo's locks were too…_simple."_

"I'm surprised he let you change it."

"Campbell...he's _dead."_ Seto stepped forward.

She was silent for some time. "He deserved it," she said firmly.

Seto scoffed. "You're damn right, he did!" He stepped through the open doorway. "Let's go."


	3. From The Beginning

3 From The Beginning

Disclaimer (forgot to add this before): Yu-Gi-Oh!, the songs, and anything else I use in this fic are NOT mine! Except for Nemuriko Midian and Campbell, that is. Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and the songs belong to their artists. GOT IT?!?!?? Good! Just in case you were thinking of suing me...

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//As we go on//

//We remember//

//All the times we//

//Had together//

Vitamin C—"Graduation (Friends Forever)"

"Class, I'd like you to meet your new students," Mr. Maki announced the next day during homeroom. "Nemuriko Midian and his sister Campbell."

"Whoa..." Honda whispered to Jounouchi. "Twins!"

Jounouchi nodded in acknowledgement. "And _check out_ the _girl. Bishoujo..."_

"There are a couple of empty seats in the back next to Jounouchi Katsuya..." Mr. Maki paused as Jou let out a yelp. "...so you can sit there."

With a nod, the twins took the chairs. Mr. Maki started receiving homework and a few other things, but Jounouchi wasn't listening. His eyes were glued on Campbell.

"Jounouchi!! Jounouchi Katsuya!!!"

"Huh...? Wha..."

Mr. Maki scowled fiercely. "Your homework, Jounouchi!"

"My homework, Maki-san...? Ah..."

"This is the third time you've neglected to turn in your homework!" Mr. Maki said angrily. "See me during lunch, and I will see that you have...yet another detention."

"Hai, Maki-san." Jounouchi lowered his head to the desk with a groan. *There goes my chance of hooking up with Campbell...*

****

"Good to see you again, Seto-kun," Midian said with a faint grin.

Seto glanced up from his small table in the cafeteria. "Same to you, Midian."

"Campbell told me that you own KC now." Midian glanced at the empty chair across from Seto. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead." Seto was silent for a moment. "What made you move back?"

"To Japan? Well, Father's not getting any younger, you know, and Kaiba Corp is known all over the world. There seemed to be no reason for us to stay." Midian smirked. "Besides, Campbell hated it there."

"Why?"

"Because of her name." Midian ran a hand through his black hair. "You know, 'Campbell', like the 'Campbell Soup Company'? She got teased at least once a day for it.

Seto scoffed and rose from his seat. "Where's Campbell?"

"In the com room." Midian motioned towards the door.

"Lunch won't be over for a while," Seto said. "I'm going down there for a while."

The black-haired teenager turned back to his food. "Watch it, Seto-kun. She _is_ my sister..."

Ignoring the other's teasing, Seto left the cafeteria and walked down the hall and the stairs. In the basement lay the large computer room.

Campbell was on the computer farthest from the steps. Seto found her listening to music.

"Campbell."

"Huh? Oh, hey, Seto." The dark blond teenager pulled off her headphones. "What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for you." Seto took the seat beside Campbell.

The girl shut down the music website she had been visiting. "Gosh, Seto," she whispered. "I...didn't realize how much I missed you...until yesterday, when I saw you again."

Seto grinned faintly. "I know," he said quietly.

Before anyone could say anything more, the bell rang. Campbell sighed.

"Gotta go. I have Kai-san for history, and some of the other kids told me that he's really strict. I don't wanna be late."

****

Between the algebra and science of the next day's classes, Jounouchi managed to stop Campbell before she left her locker.

"How come Kaiba doesn't ignore you like he ignores the rest of us?" the blond-haired boy demanded. "What, you're in love or something?"

Campbell scowled. "Never!"

"Then...how do you know each other?"

The girl sighed. "It's a long story..."

****

__

"Campbell, guess who I ran into at school today?" Midian sidled up to his twin sister.

The nine-year-old girl sighed in disgust. "Noah?"

"Hai-ya. He was asking for you." Midian let out a laugh. "I think he likes you, Campbell!"

"Shut up!" Campbell muttered. "And get outta my room! I got extra homework."

"Too bad you got Mr. Akine for social studies," the boy taunted as he left the girl's room.

Campbell tried to return to her work, but hearing about Noah had disturbed her. Even if he was the rich son of Kaiba Corporation's owner, she still hated him. Noah was too...well, weird! He rarely spoke a word to her, and when he did, it was either a greeting or an insult.

Midian hadn't been any help, either. Jealous because of Campbell's high IQ, he teased her every chance he got!

*When we get older, if Noah ever gets up the nerve to ask me out, I just might get up the nerve to kill him!!!*

****

Several days later, word came to the Nemuriko family that Noah had been killed in a car accident.

Campbell was rather relieved when she heard the news. Now Noah wouldn't be around to bother her any longer. But still...

A couple of months after the funeral, Campbell and her brother were early to Domino Elementary. The girl noticed another kid about her age entering the school.

Inside, she froze in shock. *No way! He looks exactly like Noah!*

Midian smirked. "Imouto-chan, looks like your worst nightmare is back!" With a devilish laugh, the boy moved off to sit at his desk.

Campbell watched the boy for the longest time. He had brown hair and blue eyes like hers...no, he couldn't be anything remotely connected to Kaiba Noah. After all, Campbell thought he was kind of cute.

After school, several of the boys (Campbell was too much of a tomboy to get along with girls) met with the girl to trade Duel Monster cards.

Titus, who was a year younger than the others, looked up at Campbell. "You got the rarest cards, Campbell!" he declared admiringly.

"Aw, cool!" Shinya exclaimed. "You got another Raigeki? Gosh, I'll trade you my Cyber Jar for that!"

"No, take Maha Vailo!" Terran cut in. "I need it more than Shinya!" A fight started.

A new voice interrupted the boys' arguing. "Having rare cards is insignificant if their owner can't duel."

Campbell glanced up. Her blue eyes widened. It was the kid whom she had seen earlier.

The other boys snickered. "Like you could duel, Seto," Terran taunted. Seto fell silent.

"No, wait." The girl held up her cards. "Are you saying that you wanna duel me?"

The brown-haired boy nodded. "Hai."

"So be it."

****

The next day, half of Domino Elementary came to school early...to see the duel between Campbell and the new kid.

"Let's duel!"

Seto was a good duelist; Campbell had to admit that. But before the duel had progressed very far, she realized that his deck was full of monsters since he played few magic cards. Campbell, on the other hand, had several trap and many magic cards.

The duelists were tied at 250 life points. Campbell drew a card. She smirked. *Just Desserts. Hmmm...Seto has three monsters on the field...*

"This duel's over, Seto-san," she declared.

Seto's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Campbell played the card. "Just Desserts," she said simply. The crowd of kids was silent for a moment. Terran had to speak up...

"Toldja you couldn't duel, Seto!" he called mockingly. The other kids snickered.

Without a word, Seto gathered up his cards and left the group. Campbell suddenly felt sorry for him, since he was always being teased and bullied. As if he read her mind, Terran opened his big mouth.

"Don't go feeling sorry for Seto," he warned. "If you do, well, I guess none of us will trade with you!"

Campbell got up and faced the boy. "Fine! Ignore me for all I care! I want to be smart, and I shouldn't be friends with people who aren't! Bullying another kid just because he's different just isn't right!" With that, she was gone.

****

The girl found Seto outside sitting on a bench at the playground.

"Why are you here?" the boy demanded. "Why do you insist on rubbing salt into the wound?!"

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Campbell said quietly. "I just came to say I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of the whole school."

Seto couldn't speak. No one had ever apologized to him for anything before. *This girl's really different...*

Campbell took his silence for unforgiveness.

The bell rang.

"See you later, Seto-san." Without another word, Campbell turned and disappeared inside the school.

****

Campbell sat alone during lunch. She kept her eyes on her food, not wanting to meet the mocking glances of the other kids.

"Campbell..." The girl looked up.

"Seto? Why are you here?" Seto slowly took the seat across from her and sighed.

"Thanks for...what you did today," he said reluctantly.

The nine-year-old smiled faintly. "What are friends for?"

"Friends?" Seto stared hard at the girl. "Do you...do you really mean that?"

Campbell nodded. "Of course. I never liked Terran and the others, anyway." Seto was silent. "What's wrong?"

Before he knew it, Seto was telling Campbell how he came to Domino City in the first place. He stared unseeingly at the other kids in the lunchroom.

"Why can't I just be a normal kid?" the boy asked aloud. "I'm sick of being ridiculed and ignored. I wish people would...well, respect me!" A scowl darkened his face. "Someday they will..."

"I know what you mean." Campbell nodded. "Everyone calls me a 'DJ child prodigy', and knowing so much...too much...about music kills me sometimes."

"You have the 'accelerated mind'?"

A small smile appeared on the girl's face. "I guess you could call it that..."

****

"...so that's how it happened," Campbell finished.

"Ohhh..." Jounouchi nodded.

Just then, Yugi ran up to them.

"Jounouchi!" he panted. "Campbell! You two are gonna be late for science! C'mon! The bell's about to ring! You don't want to get detention, do you?"

With a yelp, Jounouchi tore down the hall, the other two at his heels.


	4. Aisu

4 Aisu

//Don't pull me down//

//This is where I belong//

//I think I'm different//

//This is where I belong//

Blink 182—"Pathetic"

In the Kaiba mansion...

Kaiba Seto pored intently over the computer. *Perfect...* The virtual tests were going as planned. Now all he needed to do was to upload the data to Kaiba Corp's master computer, and run some full-scale splicing tests the next day.

Splicing. Something odd and new. Something that had captured Seto's interest. Now he was finally pursuing it.

"...so tomorrow you bring this to Kaiba Corp?"

Seto jumped. He had forgotten that Campbell was behind him. "Hai. I've been developing it virtually, but tomorrow...it becomes reality."

Campbell sounded uneasy. "I once read a science fiction novel about splicing. It didn't have a good ending."

"Why? What happened?" Seto asked with half-interest.

"The antagonist of the story stole the secret of splicing and nearly destroyed the world."

Seto scowled. "That's _not_ going to happen," he promised grimly. "I alone hold the information." The brown-haired teenager ejected a compact disc from the computer. "No one's touching _this_."

Campbell stared at Seto for a long time. Sometimes she couldn't believe how much he had changed. No longer was Seto the small bullied kid who never spoke. He was still notably silent, but neither small nor bullied. He seemed confident, but confidence and promises guaranteed nothing, she had learned.

Midian had confidently told her that their mother wouldn't die...

Her classmates had confidently told her that she would love America...

Her soccer teammates had confidently told her that she would receive the MVP award...

*Promises guarantee nothing but false hopes...* Campbell had told herself repeatedly in the turbulent days after her mother's death. She had come to believe those words, and they resurfaced in her memory as she heard Seto's promise...

****

The next day was dark and cold. It perfectly matched the Nemuriko twins' mood as they hurried to Kaiba Corp after school.

They arrived just as Seto opened the doors of the testing room. Campbell took up a headset, fitted it around her head, and sat with her fingers poised over a small computer's keys, ready to record results. Midian took his post at the window beside Mokuba.

Takaishi Ran, one of the best computer technicians in Kaiba Corp, entered the small control center.

"Everything ready?" he demanded commandingly. Takaishi had been an officer in the Japanese army; he didn't tolerate nonsense.

"Hai, Takaishi-san," everyone replied almost in unison.

"Good. Maken-san! The report?"

Maken scanned his computer screen. "All systems green. Eh...48% chance of injury..."

Mokuba glared at him. *You had to say it, didn't you...?*

"Anything else?" When Maken shook his head, Takaishi continued. "Master Kaiba says to proceed with the fusion."

"Yes, sir," the others replied. Takaishi took his place on the master computer.

"Should we begin, Kaiba-san?" he asked through his headset. Seto nodded slowly, taking his place in the pod which sat in the middle of the room. The pod was identical to the ones used to travel to the virtual world. But it served a very different purpose...

"Begin aisu fusion...now!" Takaishi ordered.

"Hai!" Midian pulled with both hands at the lever on the control panel before him. "Aisu fusion begins now!"

Light illuminated the testing and control rooms with fierce brightness.

Try as he might to silence his fears, Mokuba was still worried. *Seto...!*

The technicians waited breathlessly for it all to be over.

Finally...after what seemed like hours, the light faded. The pod opened. Mokuba bit his lip. *Big brother...*

Seto stepped from the pod as if nothing had happened. Campbell was puzzled.

"Okay...what just happened here...?"

Takaishi pointed. "We fused Kaiba-san with a small amount of aisu. So the effects are hard to see."

One of the other men hurried down to the testing room to run some body exams. He came back mystified. Seto was just behind him

"Everything's normal. It's as if this never happened," the man reported.

"Look again," Seto said. He held up a hand, ice swiftly covering it.

Midian stared. "What-?"

Seto smirked. "A small amount of aisu is easily controlled by the body's nervous system. See?"

Campbell typed furiously. "It's like something out of the X-Men," she muttered.

"Tomorrow, we'll work up to large-scale tests," Seto told them.

"Yeah," Midian chimed in. "Go home and be content with your progress. We've made good progress, and no one's been hurt."

*Yet...* The thought tore through Mokuba's mind.

****

"Master Kaiba?"

"Yes, Ryumi."

"I thought you should know...Kaiba Seto just ran the first splicing tests."

"And?" Noah turned halfway.

"They were successful."

The boy nodded. "Domo, Ryumi." The man bowed slightly and left the room.

Kaiba Noah swiveled back to his contemplation of Domino City. A smirk twisted his lips.

"So, the splicing has finally begun, eh, Kaiba Seto? Well, you made your move..." He rose from his chair. "Time for me to make _mine._

"First I shall oust Nemuriko's pest of a father. Then..." Noah chuckled malevolently. He picked up a small portrait and looked at it with a glare of pure hatred.

"Mokuba, little one, there's no need to fear. I'm not going to hurt you..._yet."_


	5. Closing In

5 Closing In

Just so you know: I know less than nothing about Kaiba Noah's personality. So don't flame me if my idea of it is incorrect!!!

Review and enjoy!!!

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//Why would you wish that on me?//

//I never want to act my age//

//What's my age again?//

//What's my age again?//

Blink 182—"What's My Age Again?"

When they had been younger, Nemuriko Midian and Campbell were almost identical. They had the same voice, the same features, the same short hair. The only way to tell them apart was the fact that Midian's hair was black, and Campbell's hair was dark blond. If one was _really_ observant, he would see that they had different eyes.

They also had bickered incessantly (kinda like MY little brothers...).

But now, they had changed.

The twins hadn't argued for the longest time. They only "disagreed" over certain things.

Ever since the death of her mother, Campbell had never cried. She usually kept to herself, spending most of her time in her room with her computer system. Most of her classmates regarded her as cowardly, but those who knew her called her contemplative. She almost never made a decision without thinking through the whole situation; one of the advantages of being a genius.

Sometimes Midian was hard to figure out. He was talkative in school, never lacking the right words, but at home he rarely spoke. The teenager became silent and cold around his father. He didn't want to do anything that would make his father disapprove of him...any more than he already did.

It wasn't that Nemuriko Akiro was a workaholic. No, that was putting it _lightly_. He practically _lived_ at Kaiba Corp...so great was the time that he spent there.

Mr. Nemuriko wanted Midian to continue in the business world in his footsteps. So, what little time he spent at home was spent in "training" his son.

Midian hated it. He hated being stuck in a stuffy room with mounds of paperwork demanding to be completed. He hated his father's way of always making him feel so...insignificant. He hated the way Nemuriko-san always had something bad to say about his activities.

****

A light haired boy stood on the roof of Domino High School early Monday morning. He was patiently waiting for the students to arrive.

Just then, a few cars drove up. A few teachers and several students climbed out and entered the school. The boy above the school sighed...and waited.

It wasn't long before a black limo pulled up outside the school. He smirked. *Nemuriko...they are finally here...* The boy watched as they entered the school with a bunch of other teens.

He wasn't jealous of them by any stretch of the imagination. Kaiba Noah had known enough rejection to know better than to try to join one of the school's countless cliques.

Noah scowled, remembering his father's last words as he had lain unconscious after the car accident.

__

"The boy will die soon, anyway," Gozaburo had said. "You'd better put him out of his suffering now."

The boy's hands gripped the chain-link fence. His damn father had left him for dead. But he had survived, gathering a small group of rogue computer technicians. He was going to get Kaiba Corporation back...at all costs.

****

"Midian...we need to talk."

The teenager glanced up from his homework. *Oh, boy...* "Yes, Father?"

Mr. Nemuriko stood before the desk. "I told you to write up those reports before you went out on Sunday. When I came home from work, those reports weren't even started. Why didn't you do them?!"

Midian sighed. "Look, Father," he began as he stood up. "That work was assigned for _you_ to do. _Not me."_

Mr. Nemuriko scowled. "I wanted you to work at your writing skills."

"'My writing skills'? Father, I get A's and B's in all my classes. I get good grades! Isn't that enough? Oh, that's right. I forgot. It's not good enough...for _you."_

"Watch your mouth, Midian. You should call it a privilege that I even _want_ you to take my place in Kaiba Corp, considering the fact that you never act your age."

"How can I act my age when you're teaching me to act my age...times three?!" Midian demanded. "Father...I'm _fifteen_. Not forty-five."

"Oh, really? You've been acting like fifteen..._divided_ by three."

The teenager stood breathing hard, enraged at his father's sarcasm. "Good night, Father," he muttered between clenched teeth.

The boy stormed from the mansion, slamming the door behind him.

****

"What are you saying, Campbell?" demanded Seto.

"I'm saying that splicing isn't a good idea," Campbell explained. "It could be dangerous! Not to mention deadly. And what if someone stole it? It would be 9/11 all over again."

"You saw how well the tests went. What's to harm anyone there?"

Campbell was silent, unable to think up a reasonable answer.

"Just remember, Seto," she said finally. "You aren't the only genius around here."

****

The next day, Noah watched as the Nemuriko twins climbed into the limo. He smirked as they drove off. They didn't know it was the last time that they'd ever see their father.

*Time to make my move...* He signaled for his men to close in.


	6. Father Of Mine

6 Father Of Mine

//Father of mine//

//Tell me where have you been//

//You know I just closed my eyes//

//My whole world disappeared//

//Father of mine//

//Take me back to the day//

//When I was still your golden boy//

//Back before you went away//

Everclear—"Father of Mine"

"Master Nemuriko...before you go into your father's room, I think there's something you should know."

"Wh-what are you talking about, Shida-san?" Midian demanded of the housekeeper. "What's wrong?"

"Midian...your father...listen, I stepped out earlier today to buy a few things, and when I came back, I found Nemuriko-san. He was...on the floor in...very bad condition."

The black-haired teenager scowled. "Is he-"

The housekeeper shook his head. "Not yet," he whispered. "But the doctors don't give him much of a chance to...live."

Without another word, Midian pulled away from the man and raced upstairs. He tore past the doctors who yelled at him to stop and into his father's room, a sickening feeling in his chest.

"Father?" he said softly, shutting the door behind him.

Mr. Nemuriko seemed to have been asleep in bed, but he opened his eyes at the sound of his son's voice. "Is...Campbell here?" he asked softly.

"No, sir," replied Midian in a hushed voice.

"Come here, Midian," the man said weakly, but with command.

The teenager quickly obeyed. He could barely breathe when he saw Nemuriko-san's condition. His father wasn't breathing regularly, and his skin was a deathly pale. The man was near death...and Midian knew it. "Who...what...happened?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Mr. Nemuriko sighed heavily. "That is not for you to know, Midian. The point is, I'm going to die."

"No. No! You're _not!"_ Midian swallowed hard. For the first time since his mother's death, he felt tears stinging behind his eyes. "Father, you _can't!"_

"Listen to me, son." The man's breath became shallow as he continued. "There is...one thing...one thing you should know."

"Yes, sir?"

Mr. Nemuriko let out a deep breath. "Noah's back, Midian."

"What?"

"Kaiba Noah is...still...alive." There was silence in the bedroom for the longest time.

"He...did this to you?" Midian said quietly.

"You don't need...to know that." Mr. Nemuriko tried to sit up. He fell back, panting.

"Father, you should rest..."

"Just listen to me, Midian." The teenager's father clenched his teeth.

"Yes, sir."

His voice weakened. "Whatever you do...take good care of your sister. Promise me that you will, Midian."

"I...will, Father." the teenager promised. "At least you can trust me on this, if nothing else."

"Good, good." Mr. Nemuriko lay back and closed his eyes. "Then...it is finally...finished..."

Midian drew in a sharp breath. "Father?" he whispered.

Silence surrounded him. The silence of the dead. The black-haired teenager clenched his teeth, lowering his head to his hands.

****

Noah watched from his hiding spot outside the window. He smirked, enjoying the grief within.

*My work in this place is done,* he thought as he was driven back to the house that had become his hideout. *Now comes my favorite part...*

****

As the priest's chants faded away into the still night air, no one could speak. Silence descended upon the small group.

Midian watched expressionlessly as the casket was lowered into the grave. He felt Campbell's hand tighten around his arm. Remembering what his father had said, the teenager drew his sister into a protective embrace.

The older twin hadn't cried; no, that was something he didn't do. But he still felt unmeasured grief as he and his sister left the graveyard with the others.

And anger...burning, destructive rage...

****

Nemuriko Midian needed some way to vent his rage, and Haija Amani just seemed the perfect target...

Midian grabbed his shirt and shoved him to the ground. "That's for laughing at me when I got the lowest marks in class. Why the hell did you have to do that, anyway?"

Amani shrank back against the wall. "I...I don't remember doing that..."

"Shut up!" Midian kicked him. "Don't give me any more of your shit. No one messes with Nemuriko Midian, you hear me? No...one!" Each word was punctuated with blows.

It felt good to beat up the kid. Amani's screams of pain gave him new energy, and the teenager struck with full force.

****

"Boy, what the hell is wrong with you?" Principal Black demanded. "You almost killed Amani! You'll be lucky if he isn't maimed for _life_ because of you!"

Midian didn't reply, silently bearing the principal's tongue-lashing. He had gone through this many times before. The smoldering fire in his gray eyes only thickened with smoke as he waited for the man to shut up.

"You are suspended from school for three days, Nemuriko! You hear me? Three days!"

Midian nodded. "Hai, Black-san."

He turned and left, ignoring the principal's irate shouts.

****

Dressed in black, the teenager stood in the gateway leading to the Shinto shrine. He stared impassively at the nearby graveyard.

"Kami!" he shouted aloud. "My mother told me that you want nothing but the best for me. If that's true, then what's good in both my parents dying?" Tears stung his eyes. "How the _hell_ is that good for me?" The teenager sank to his knees before the small altar, sobbing like a child. "How?" he yelled in a choked voice.

Although his father had been unreasonably strict with him, Midian still thought he was the greatest person in his life. Now that he was gone, there was no telling what he'd do...

Before Mrs. Nemuriko died, she had always been kind to him. She had taught him to weigh the worth of an action against its consequences.

She had also taught him to be merciful...merciful and caring.

Midian stared at the gate leading to the Shinto shrine with chilled gray eyes. There was no mercy left in him now.

*Goodbye, Father. I loved you.*


	7. Gone

7 Gone

//I will make it go away//

//Can't be here no more//

//Seems this is the only way//

//I will soon be gone//

//These feelings will be gone//

//These feelings will be gone//

Korn—"Alone I Break"

Nemuriko Midian's father had abused him, but in a different way. Not physically; he called that way barbaric. Not even sexually; he wasn't _that_ low. Nemuriko Akiro had abused him verbally...and mentally.

Day after day, he would tirelessly yell until Midian's temper got to the boiling point. Things would go on from there...

His father had tormented him in so many ways, and yet he still felt lost since he wasn't around...

*Please...come back...* For some reason, all his thoughts had been like a pleading child's since the funeral. He couldn't think...

He wanted to die.

****

Midian pulled his black sweatshirt hood over his head after putting on a baseball cap. This, the earring in his left ear, and his deadly expression made him look like a black-haired Eminem.

"Aren't you coming, Midian?" Campbell asked, stepping into her brother's room.

"I'm suspended from school, remember?" he muttered, obviously in a sour mood. "Besides, we're going to be leaving anyway."

"Leaving?"

"Or have you forgotten that Father's gone?" Midian brushed past his sister and out the door.

Campbell scowled, annoyed at his mood. "Just because Father's not here doesn't mean we're leaving this place!" she shouted. "Or did _you_ forget that I'm taking his position at Kaiba Corp?"

"So you don't care if Father's dead or alive?" Midian's words bit painfully deep as he stormed from the mansion, slamming the door behind him.

****

Campbell slipped on the earphones of her CD player. She sighed. Ever since the girl could remember, she had always loved music. After all, it had given her the name "genius." In America, she had been the youngest deejay ever to mix a beat.

As the dark blond teenager climbed from the limousine and entered school, she found herself thinking of her older brother. *I miss Father too, Midian. It's just that...I didn't know him like you did.*

****

Midian was walking through the city without a specific direction in mind, but before he knew it, he found himself in the older section of Domino City.

The teenager looked up at the rundown buildings, thinking of the time when he had lived in one of them. It had only been five years ago.

Midian remembered how his whole life had changed that day six years ago when he had been hit by a car on the way home from school. Before the car accident, he and his sister had bickered incessantly. After it, they had become best friends. Prior to the accident, his parents hadn't argued. Following it, they had fought 24-7.

Now that he thought about it, Midian realized that none of the mess he was in would have happened if he hadn't been in the car accident. Guilt weighed his down as he turned down a narrow alley.

Suddenly, the teenager sensed someone watching his back. Before he could react, several gangsters blocked the alley's exits, snickering menacingly all the while. An icy chill of fear ran down his spine as he realized that he was surrounded.

Midian's eyes widened as he recognized the group's leader. "Norio!"

Meikai Norio was the meanest bully that Domino High had ever seen. "Yeah, it's me, Nemuriko," Norio replied with a smirk. "How come you ain't in school?"

"I was suspended," Midian allowed between clenched teeth. "For beating up that son of a bitch Amani. And you?"

Norio shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a little saboru. You know, skipping school." He gestured for the others to move in.

With a shout, the gang rushed onto Midian. If the teenager hadn't been expecting this, he would have been overpowered by their sheer numbers. But Midian had mastered karate, the art of the empty hand. Yelling fiercely, he met their attack, punches and kicks dealt with painful accuracy.

But Norio himself was no stranger to martial arts. Snatching up a stick like the ones he used in kendo, the bully spun into the brawl. He struck Midian hard on the back of his head. Momentarily stunned, the black-haired teenager froze. One of the thugs took advantage of his pause and shoved him to the ground.

As the teenager was off-balance, Midian jerked him down, hitting the other's head on the ground. He fell, unconscious.

Norio signaled for the others to back away, then he raised his stick, whacking Midian in the chest with all his strength. The black-haired teenager cried out, and blood spurted from his mouth. Norio smirked. "Now you see how it feels, Nemuriko," he hissed, twirling the stick in one hand. "You beat up my little brother, Meikai Ryumi in elementary school..."

"That...was five years ago," Midian gasped.

"And yesterday you beat up my cousin Haija Amani! He's still in intensive care, thanks to you!"

In spite of the pain, Midian smirked. "Really. They both got better than they deserved," he muttered sarcastically.

Norio slammed his steel fist into Midian's chest. The teenager clenched his teeth as bursts of torture exploded in his mind. Norio lashed out again and again, each blow more painful than the last. *Somebody kill me already...*

When Norio had exhausted his fury, he turned to the others. "Do your worst," he ordered.

Half an hour later, Midian lay on the ground, his tears mingling with the blood and dirt on his face.

"Aw, look at him cry," Norio mocked. "Tell me, Midian. How does it _feel_ to be torn apart, to be cut down to size?" Midian swallowed hard, and didn't reply. Norio clenched his teeth, kicking the teenager so hard he almost screamed. "Answer me, you filthy bastard!"

The other teenager clenched his teeth. Meikai Norio contented himself with a second and almost lethal kick. A scream was jerked from Midian's aching throat.

He shouldn't have done it...

****

"Meikai."

"Yes, sir."

"You see Nemuriko Midian there? See how he _suffers?_ That's how I want Kaiba Seto! Do _whatever_ it takes to prolong his suffering, to make his death all the more fun to inflict! And once he's gone, Kaiba Corporation will be mine! You hear me?"

"Yes...Master Kaiba...but what about his brother, Mokuba?"

"I have other plans for him; plans that I alone can execute." There was a pause. "Now! Where are Nonaka Shinya and Meikai Ryumi? We have a lot to do, starting with..."

****

When Midian opened his eyes, the first thing he was aware of was the numbing agony of his wounds. He was shivering and sweating, but his body was unbearably hot. Blood was caked in his black hair and stained his torn clothes. It was smeared over the ground.

Blood...he had lost too much blood...

No wonder he felt so weak...

Midian winced as he pulled himself to his feet. His chest and head hurt worse as he tried to catch his breath.

Glancing at the sun, the teenager figured that it was sometime in the afternoon. He winced as he stumbled from the alley, too weary to think of where to go. All that resided in his head was the incessant pounding...pounding...

When the teenager came to himself, he was standing before the Kaiba mansion. *Wh-what?! How the _hell_ did I walk this far?!* He scowled, clutching his aching head with bruised hands. The world spun around him, and he didn't trust his weakening body to last much longer...

****

Takaishi Ran burst into the control room, obviously excited. The others looked up in surprise. What had gotten the usually laconic Takaishi so excited?

"Watch yourself, old man," Campbell muttered sarcastically. "You don't want to burst a blood vessel."

Takaishi didn't seem to hear her. "Kaiba-san gave me this," he began, his black eyes glowing with excitement. He held up a small CD.

"Looks like a regular old CD to me," muttered Kanbara, one of the younger technicians.

Takaishi gave him the look of death. "Your stupidity is immeasurable, Kanbara," he declared icily. "I hold here in my hand...the database...for quantum splicing!"

"Huh?"

"Is this like something from Power Rangers?" Maken inquired.

"Iie!" Takaishi shook his head. "It's _beyond_ that. Like a sixth sense. Anyone who is fused with _this_ will have the power..."

"Yes?" Everyone listened up.

"Er...we're not sure yet...

"Aw, c'mon!" The others sweatdropped.

The man headed for the door. "Start the splicing. I will return directly."

"We've already successfully tested aisu (ice), kaki (fire), amakaze (wind) and erekiteru (electricity)," Campbell commented. "I don't see how this one will hurt." Obviously, she had hanged her mind about the splicing being "dangerous."

"Didn't you hear what Takaishi-san said?!" demanded Maken. "Even _he_ doesn't know what it does! It could be _lethal!"_

Kanbara inserted the CD into the master computer. "Only one way to find out...!"

****

__

Darkness so hot...so damn sweltering...and shivering...freezing...hot and cold...

*Why...didn't...you...kill...me...before...why...* The words flashed across the jet-haired teenager's feverish mind, each one bringing more visions of confusion than the last.

The darkness seemed to shift, awakening his subconscious mind. He saw his mother...oh, he had never remembered her more vividly...

She was smiling.

*Don't look at me like that, Mom. I'm not...worth your happiness...*

The woman faded away. *No! Don't go, Mother!*

A gentle touch to his bruised chest, then explosions of torture tore at his body. He moaned.

"He's going to be all right...all right...all right..." Someone's voice echoed as if from far away...

The world around Midian slowly came into focus. He lay on a bed in a small room. The teenager dimly recognized one of the two people standing over him.

"Mokuba," he whispered.

"He's waking up," the other person said.

"Hai." Mokuba nodded.

"Where...am I?" Midian asked, wincing as flames of pain burned in his torso.

"My house," Mokuba replied. "Don't you remember?"

"Yeah..." He closed his eyes, recalling how he had collapsed.

The other man turned to Mokuba. "Would you mind giving us a minute?" Shaking his head, Mokuba left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Who are you?" Midian asked warily.

"Dr. Mazami." The man sat beside the bed. "How did this happen?"

Midian scowled fiercely and didn't reply.

"Was this, by any chance, the result of abuse?"

The teenager bit his lip." My parents are _dead,"_ he muttered harshly. "Why should _you_ care?"

"Listen, Midian," the doctor began firmly. "I'm only trying to help-"

"I wish you wouldn't..." Midian drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

Dr. Mazami was silent for a long time. Then, with a nod of resignation, he got to his feet and quietly left the room.

Midian slowly lowered his head, his black hair drooping over his hurting face Tears burned his silvery-gray eyes.

****

"No! This _can't_ be happening!" Kanbara almost screamed.

Campbell typed and retyped, but the screen had gone blank. "Dammit!"

"This can't be!" Maken stared at his computer in horror. "God, someone wake me up!"

"It's gone!" Takaishi pounded his hands on the keyboard.

Campbell echoed his mournful shout. "The quantum splicing's gone!"


	8. All The Virus We Need

8 All The Virus We Need

// Graffiti decorations//

//Under a sky of dust//

//A constant wave of tension//

//On top of broken trust//

//The lessons that you taught me//

//I learn were never true//

//Now I find myself in question//

//They point the finger at me again//

//Guilty by association//

//You point the finger at me again//

Linkin Park—"Runaway"

Needless to say, the four computer technicians at Kaiba Corporation were...let's just say "not so happy" when they realized what had happened.

Who am I kidding?! They were INFRURIATED!!

Kanbara and Maken both resembled boiling pots of water that were about to explode into steam as they typed furiously, trying to trace whoever had taken the technology. Each of them exchanged biting remarks from time to time, acting like the immature men they were.

Takaishi Ran and Campbell weren't as excitable. The two hastily erected a virtual smokescreen to keep out any further hackers before recovering all they could.

"I picked up 50%," Campbell reported. "You, Takaishi-san?"

The former army general shook his head. "None." He turned angrily on the other techs. "Quiet! You're acting like spoiled four year olds!"

"What happened?" inquired a new voice.

Kanbara scowled at the ground. "We lost it," he mumbled sulkily.

"If you don't tell me _why_ you lost it, you all will lose a lot more than that! Like your jobs, for instance," Seto shot back.

****

Unbeknownst to all except the four technicians, Nemuriko Midian and Kaiba Seto, the splicing experiments were funded by the Japanese government. They were part of a titanic project to advance the Japanese military.

A rogue hacker was dangerous enough...without access to a potential weapon .If any of the government officials got word that the technology had been stolen, Kaiba Corp would face bankruptcy. After all, it _was_ Seto's idea.

But no one except _him_ knew that splicing wasn't _fully_ his idea to begin with...

****

"So...you're saying that splicing wasn't _your _idea?" Campbell asked as she and Seto entered the Kaiba mansion.

"Gozaburo was the first to come up with the idea of fusing human and elemental molecules," Seto admitted. "I found the data soon after his death." 

"How do you know that Kanbara or Maken or even _ Takaishi_ didn't steal it?" Campbell demanded.

"And how do I know that _you_ don't?" Seto retorted. The teenager scowled. "The point is, whoever stole it knows all that...and more. Of that I am certain."

Just then, Campbell noticed the boy standing on the stairs. "Konnichiwa, Mokuba."

"Konnichiwa," the boy replied. He hesitated. "Campbell?"

"Yeah?"

"Eh...your brother's upstairs."

"What?!"

"It's...a long story. Don't tell him that I told you that, though. He'd kill me."

Campbell smirked. "Fat chance."

****

"There's something I need to tell you." Midian stared out the window.

"What?"

The teenager ran a hand through his unkempt black hair and sighed. "Noah's back."

"What?!" Campbell's cerulean-blue eyes widened. "Please tell me you're kidding!!"

"I'm not," he replied wearily. "Father...he told me it all." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Noah killed him."

"Midian, why didn't you tell me this before?!" Campbell demanded.

"I-I...don't know," he muttered sullenly. *Yeah. _Why_ didn't I?!*

"Who, exactly, is Noah?" Seto asked.

Midian glanced up at him from where he sat on the bed. "No one ever told you?"

"Iie."

The black haired teenager snorted. "He's nothing short of an SOB," he replied shortly. "Noah was Gozaburo's son, but he died in a car accident before you were adopted. Apparently, 'dying' was something he didn't do."

"Could he have stolen the splicing data?" Seto questioned.

Midian shrugged. "Could be. Gozaburo _did_ give him a _lot_ of technological education..."

****

__

I am no longer the weakling I was when my father thought I had died. In a sense, I did. The pathetic side of me died, and the real me was reborn.

And now the real me has a chance to prove itself. May all go well.

Kaiba Noah looked up from the journal in which he wrote. *Why do I even write a diary?* he mentally demanded, throwing down his pen. *What will I need this for?*

*Who knows?*

A knock sounded on his door.

"Come in."

Meikai Norio stepped in. "Master Noah, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but _when_ are we going to send the virus?" he demanded impatiently.

"Have patience, Meikai," Noah cautioned. "We won't need the virus."

"WHAT?!"

Noah rose from his desk, ignoring Norio's outburst. "Where is the younger Kaiba?"

"Oh, you mean Mokuba? At home, I think."

The light haired boy stared out his window. "I want you to bring him here. _He_ is all the virus we need."

Norio gave a short bow. "Yes, sir." He turned and was gone.

****

He didn't know _how_ it happened...he just knew it did. Mokuba remembered someone jumping him from behind on his way home from school, but other than that...

A door somewhere in the house to which he had been taken opened. Mokuba heard footsteps headed to the room in which he was. The door opened.

In walked a light-haired boy slightly taller than Mokuba. He smirked. "I see you're awake," he said, an menacing note in his tone.

"Who are you?" Mokuba demanded, getting to his feet.

"Kaiba Noah."

"Kaiba?!" Mokuba's dark eyes widened. "What?"

"I am...was Gozaburo's real son," Noah explained rapidly, his voice growing bitter. "After I got hit by a car, he left me...left me for dead. I brought you here today to help me reclaim what is rightfully mine!"

"What do you mean?" Mokuba inquired warily.

Noah shut the door. His tone sharpened. "I mean that you are going to tell me all the passwords to Kaiba Corp, right now!" He pulled something from his pocket, and Mokuba saw that it was a switchblade...

****

"Mokuba, how could you do such a thing?" Seto demanded angrily. "How the _hell_ could you give Noah...those passwords?!"

Mokuba shrank back against the wall, too scared to speak. Seto had never yelled at him in his life. *I'm sorry, Seto, but you don't know what Noah did to me...*

The teenager was rapidly losing patience. "Answer me!" he shouted.

His younger brother gasped. "I...I don't know," he said in a small voice. "I'm...sorry."

"That's _all_ you have to say?" he muttered almost sadistically. "You're _sorry?_ God, you're going to have to come up with something better than _that!"_

"What else do you want me to say?" Mokuba cried defensively. There was silence. "Seto?" The teenager didn't reply. Then with a sigh of disgust, he turned to leave.

Mokuba stopped him. "Big brother, why are you ignoring me?" Seto gave him a bitterly cold stare.

"I trusted you, Mokuba," he whispered heatedly. He brushed past his brother and left the room.

"Seto!"

****

__

I'm sorry, Seto. I didn't know what I was doing...

You don't know what Noah did to me!

Big brother, why are you ignoring me?

I'm sorry!

Seto!

Mokuba stumbled down a dark alley, oblivious to the rain drenching him from above. His dark hair shadowed his face, and the tears that mingled with the heavily falling rain.

Raining? When had it started? Mokuba ducked under a low-hanging roof to avoid getting wet. He sat there for a long while, mentally replaying what had happened a half-hour earlier.

The boy pulled off the pendant from around his neck, the one with his older brother's picture. He was about to throw it away, but something told him to keep it.

_I trusted you, Mokuba._

With a sigh, the little one stuck the pendant into his pocket, got to his feet, and continued on.

At the other end of the alley, Noah leaned against the wall. Lightning illuminated his face for a split-second as he smirked.

*Just a bit longer, little one. Your time is not yet come.*


	9. At The Mercy Of The Sadist

9 At The Mercy Of The Sadist

Just to warn all readers:

This story _(probably)_ won't have a happy ending. At least that's how it looks to _me_.

I sense the flames coming on...

Oh, and for all those wondering why the _hell_ I insist on writing song lines before my fics, it's just cuz I love music as much as I love anime and manga.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

//I won't let you down//

//The words you said to me//

//It's echoing the sound//

//Of what would never be//

//I'm standing here alone//

//The memories remain//

//The same familiar home//

//But nothing looks the same//

//And I'm standing here alone//

//Can't tell if I'm awake//

//Reality is gone//

//In a dream I can't escape//

//You said//

//Hold on//

//But I feel like//

//I'm slipping away//

//I'm getting through it now//

//I guess it's plain to see//

//That everything I am//

//Is not everything you need//

Trust Company—"Slipping Away"

__

How could you do such a thing?

Answer me!

That's all you have to say?

Mokuba shivered violently as he sat under the branches of a spreading oak. The rain still fell heavily, and he had forgotten to bring a coat.

__

I trusted you.

*I guess you're right, Seto,* he thought sadly. *I'm sorry...* The black-haired boy brushed away the tears sprang up at the remembrance of his older brother's harsh words.

__

God, you're going to have to come up with something better than that!

Mokuba drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He sat there for the longest time, waiting for the storm to stop.

****

"Why did you bring me here...again?" Mokuba asked half-fearfully.

Noah turned away from the dark view of the city. "You gave me the passwords..." He smiled evilly. "And now I own Kaiba Corporation, which is as it should be. I also have control over piece after intricate piece of Kaiba Corp's technology." There was a mocking note in his tone. "I wanted to thank you for that."

Mokuba tightened his fists as Noah laughed. This was just as bad as something Pegasus would have done. "You suck," he muttered angrily.

Noah's grin vanished. He advanced menacingly on Mokuba, his eyes piercing deep within. "You will regret that," he declared.

Out of nowhere, Noah's steel fist lashed out. Mokuba's head snapped back. He tasted blood in his mouth.

Noah smirked as his blows fell more intensely. At first, Mokuba resisted the urge to scream. But as Noah's fists tore at his already battered body, the agony became more than he could bear...

"Stop!" he pleaded futilely. "Please...stop!"

"Why should I?" Noah shot back. "You're getting what you deserve! You didn't _have_ to tell me those passwords!"

With a sudden wave of guilt came fierce anger. Struggling fiercely, Mokuba threw Noah off balance, knocking him to the ground. But his energy was short-lived.

Momentarily surprised, Noah nearly let Mokuba overpower him. But, regaining his senses, he kicked the black-haired boy off him and got to his feet...

The smaller boy clearly saw the hatred blazing in his eyes.

For the first time, Mokuba realized that he was at Noah's mercy...

Before he could react, the older boy roughly grabbed him and squeezed him around the neck, crushing his windpipe. Mokuba cried out in pain. The world around him seemed to dim as his body, lacking oxygen, began to shut down. *No. No...please...*

But Noah was far from finished. Filled with blind rage, he tightened his lethal grip. An evil smile twisted his face as Mokuba's body went limp...

****

__

What was this place, that darkness should be so comforting? What was this place, that one found peace in the blackness of near death?

Wherever he was, it was eerily peaceful. Drifting in space...Mokuba seemingly abandoned his body. Silence and darkness had never been more consoling.

A movement in the night. What was that? Mokuba felt an uncharacteristic urge to panic. Something was disturbing this quiet essence...

"ITAI!!" The word was torn from his aching throat.

****

Agony jerked the boy back to reality. Noah shoved him to the ground, kicking him cruelly in the chest.

Mokuba coughed, his lungs filling with air. He lay shuddering, each breath cutting through his chest almost unbearably. He felt tears streaming down his face, and couldn't stop the sobs that welled up, sending spasms of torture through his bruised torso. Ironic how the breath of life could give the torment of death...

Noah stood gloating over the boy's shaking body. "Feel the pain, Mokuba," he hissed icily. "Feel the agony you so _richly_ deserve!"

With an evil echoing laugh, he was gone.

****

Mokuba lay still on the wooden floorboards, burning but shivering feverishly. He was too tired to move; almost too tired to think.

It was just like _before._

Of all the kids his age, he had always been the _smallest;_ the _weakest. _Oh, it didn't matter that he was the smartest, no, all the other boys wanted a show of brute strength; something he didn't possess.

Unlike Noah. _He_ had surprising power for someone his age and size. Physical and mental powers he loved to use against others, to the evidence of the bruises and cuts all over the boy's body. To hell with him!

All the other times Mokuba had been bullied, his brother had always been there. His brother had always made things right, even when they were both little.

Unlike now.

*Seto...* Slowly, because every move was overridden with agony, Mokuba pushed himself into a sitting position, breathing hard with the effort. His dark hair brushed over his face as he pulled the pendant from his pocket, opening it to see that picture...

He didn't hear the door open.

Before he could react, Noah stooped down, snatching up the small picture.

"No! Noah give it back!!" The younger boy pleaded, struggling to get to his feet.

The light-haired boy kicked him down. "Quiet, you bastard!" He regarded the pendant as if it wasn't worth dust. "Hmm..." With a snicker, Noah threw it to the ground.

"No!!" Mokuba couldn't help screaming as the picture shattered into tiny pieces. He could contain himself no longer. Burying his dark head in his shaking hands, he cried, harder than he ever had in his life.


	10. Never Again

10 Never Again

Ehhh...a rather sentimental chapter. I almost cried while I was editing it. How stupid of me. (-_-)

And by the way...I KNOW that Seto would _never_ yell at his brother in real life, but bear with me for the story's sake, willya? I'm trying to be original!

Domo!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

//I gotta be honest// //I think you know//

//We're covered in lies and that's okay//

//There's somewhere beyond this, I know//

//But I hope I can find the words to say//

//Never again, no//

//No, never again//

Vertical Horizon—"You're A God"

It wasn't that noticeable. The house, that is. Very small; very quiet.
No one suspected or saw anything. No one _could_ have. But he knew better.

He walked noiselessly to the door and tried the knob. *Locked...*

*What was _that?_* Voices within. He froze as he recognized one of them...

*That's it. He's _here_.*

Stepping back, he mentally estimated how much force he would need to break the lock...

****

"Mokuba! Are you all right?"

The black haired boy groaned, slowly reconnecting with reality. The dark eyes widened as he distinguished who it was. "S-Seto?"

"Yes." The brown-haired teenager nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Are you all right?" he repeated.

"I-I...think so..." Mokuba tried to get to his feet, but stumbled back. His brother held out a hand and helped him up.

The boy flinched almost unnoticeably as his body's aching was reawakened. *Where am I?* He glanced around. He was still in the house. *What happened?* There had been a crash...splintering wood...the lock on the door had been forced, he figured...a dark figure rushed in...Noah had...

*Noah...!* He shuddered involuntarily.

Seto watched him with concern. "What is it? What's wrong, Mokuba?"

The black-haired boy looked at his brother guardedly. "Where...is he?" Mokuba asked warily. "Where's...where's Noah?"

"Gone," Seto replied. *And to hell, I hope.*

Mokuba suddenly noticed a reddening streak on his brother's coat sleeve. "Seto, you're bleeding!"

He shrugged. "It's just a little cut." There was a pause. "I'm glad you're all right."

Relief cascaded over Mokuba so abruptly that he almost collapsed. Instead, he sank against his brother, tears threatening to overcome him. "Seto...you're...you're _not_ mad at me...anymore?"

"No." The teenager shook his head. "Not anymore." His voice dropped. "Yelling at you...it was immature of me, anyway."

"Ohh..." Mokuba shut his eyes, exhaustion overpowering him.

****

Seto watched his brother protectively as the little one lay sound asleep in the hospital bed beside him. So small...such a reflection of what little good Seto had within him. The only light in an otherwise dark existence...

*My light...* The teenager gently brushed a strand of hair away from the boy's feverish face.

Mokuba stirred, slowly opening his eyes. He grinned slightly. "H-hey...Seto," he whispered.

*My light...* "Mokuba..." Seto paused and tried again. "Little brother, how are you feeling?"

"O...kay..." The boy rubbed his forehead. "Just a little hot...and my chest still hurts. Other than that..."

Seto touched the pendant around his neck. "The fever will go down," he said reassuringly. "I'm just glad you're safe." *My light,* he mentally added.

"Big brother?"

"Yes."

Are-are you...still mad at me?" Mokuba had asked the question before, but he wasn't certain about the answer.

The teenager drew his brother into a gentle embrace. "My light..." he said quietly. "My light, you know that I'm not."

"But...but when you...when you yelled...at me, I-I thought you didn't...love me anymore...that you hated me..." Mokuba's voice dissolved into sobs.

"I'm sorry, little brother," Seto said quietly. "I promised you..." His voice trailed off as he struggled to control his emotions. "I promised that I'd always take care of you...but I...didn't keep that promise." He held the boy tighter. "I didn't mean to scare you like that, little brother. I'm sorry."

Mokuba threw his arms around the teenager, tears streaming down his face. "Big brother..."

"I will never make the mistake of doing that to you again," he whispered. _"Never."_

Mokuba shut his eyes, sobbing into his brother's shoulder. His chest was hurting again, but he didn't feel it. All he felt was safe...in his older brother's arms.

****

Midian sat propped up on the pillows in his bed as he folded his headset. Placing it on his desk, he replayed the conversation he had just had.

So Mokuba had been hospitalized, thanks to Noah. A short, bitter laugh escaped his lips. Mokuba-kun was lucky, compared to Midian's father.

And now, Noah controlled Kaiba Corporation. *Oh, _goody._ What _else_ could go wrong?!*

A knock sounded on the door. "Come in."

Campbell entered her brother's room. "Who was calling, oniisan?"

"Seto," he replied, laconic as usual.

"And?"

"Huh?"

"He _must_ have a good reason for calling this late!"

Midian quickly explained. "Now I _really_ got a damn good reason to make it hot for Noah," he finished heatedly.

Campbell smirked. "Right." She moved towards the door. "Well, niisan...good night."

Midian nodded as she left the room. *Good night, imouto.*

After his sister had left, the black haired teenager sank back into his bed, trying to shut out the memories of his father that had rushed back at the mention of Noah.

__

Whatever you do...take good care of your sister. Promise me that you will, Midian.

I will, Father. At least you can trust me on this, if nothing else.

Midian closed his eyes. *You can trust me, Father,* he repeated to himself. *I will do all that...and more.*


	11. All Right

11 All Right

//I used to say I couldn't do it//

//But I did it//

//After telling everybody that I wasn't with it//

//Though it brings tears to my eyes//

//I can feel it//

//And I know inside I'm gonna be all right//

//I used to say I couldn't do it//

//But I did it//

//After telling everybody that I wasn't with it//

//Though it brings tears to my eyes//

//I can feel it//

//And that voice inside says I'm gonna be all right//

Jennifer Lopez—"All Right"

It was Jounouchi's fault.

The eavesdropper.

He had come upon Midian and Seto and heard them talking about Kaiba Corp's repossession by some Kaiba Noah. Naturally, he couldn't keep his mouth closed.

The whole school knew about it before the first bell.

"Thanks a lot, big mouth," Campbell sneered at him as she passed his locker.

Jounouchi reddened, "Gomen," he muttered.

"We're going to need a lot more than 'sorry' to make the school forget this." *Way...way more.*

****

"Oniisan, you heard what happened with you and Seto—and your big mouth!—right?"

"Seto's fault," Midian replied glibly.

Campbell smirked. "Always ready to pass the blame, aren't you?"

The black-haired teenager shrugged. "Hey, _he_ didn't have to start talking about it!"

His twin sister sighed. Half of her wanted to pound her brother over his head for letting Jou hear the conversation; the other half was happy to see Midian returning to his usual teasing self. Campbell found it reassuring, of all things.

****

"Seto, _when_ are we gonna start kicking some serious butt?!"

The brown-haired teenager fully expected Midian to ask the question, but it still caught him off-guard.

"I'm tired of just _sitting_ around, and I think..."

"Have patience, niisan," Campbell interrupted. "Seto and I checked Kaiba Corp's virtual systems, and Noah's set up a almost _impenetrable_ smokescreen. Even _I_ wasn't trained to hack _that."_

"Trained?" Midian raised a dark eyebrow.

"N-never mind."

"Hmph." The teenager crossed his arms, his gray eyes almost black with impatience. He turned to Seto, who still hadn't spoken. "You haven't said anything, Seto. When do we..._get cracking?"_

Seto glanced out the darkening window of the mansion. "As soon as possible. _Now_, if we can."

Midian's smirk had never been wider. "Then let's get movin'!"

"Seto!"

The three teens froze simultaneously. The brown-haired teenager turned. "You're supposed to be in bed, little brother."

"I know..." The boy spread his arms. "But...where are _you_ going?"

Seto hesitated. "To Kaiba Corporation to...complete some unfinished business."

Mokuba's dark eyes widened. "But Noah's there, Seto! What if he—"

He shook his head. "That won't happen, little brother." He added, before the boy could reply, "And _you_ are going to stay here. You just got released from the hospital."

"But Seto...!" Mokuba was truly scared. He usually never questioned his brother's plans. Instinctively, rather than by choice, he stepped forward, gripping his brother's arm. "If you go...what if he...he separates us? Like Gozaburo almost did?"

Seto grimaced, remembering. It had only been five short years ago...

~Flashback~

__

"Leave my brother alone!"_ Seto shouted, pulling Mokuba against him, keeping him from Gozaburo. "What were you doing to him?" the brown-haired boy demanded. _"Why were you hurting my brother?!"

__

"He deserves what he's going to get," Gozaburo sneered. "Move out of my way, boy. Before I hurt him worse than he already is!"

"Iie!" Seto's eyes narrowed. Disentangling himself from his brother, he stepped forward. "If you're going to hurt someone, hurt me."

__

"You asked for it...!"

"Seto!!" His brother's cries echoed in his ears. He hurt all over...but that wasn't anything new. Getting beat up was something he'd experienced enough to know how to react. He was doing it for his little brother; taking the beating that Mokuba deserved. Nothing else mattered as long as his brother wasn't hurt.

Gozaburo finally stepped back, breathing hard. "I will see_ that you _troublemakers_ are put in _separate homes!"_ he snapped. "And as far away as is humanly possible!" With that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him._

Mokuba almost couldn't speak. "Seto..."

The boy turned as his brother called his name, wincing slightly. He didn't look badly hurt—there were only a few bruises on his arms—but there was a painful look in his cerulean eyes, half-hidden by his unkempt brown hair.

"Come...come here, Mokuba," he whispered, an anguished tone in his voice.

The black-haired boy ran and embraced his older sibling tightly. Tears streamed down his face as he gasped, "Seto...big brother...he...he hurt you..."

"I'm—it's all right, Mokuba," Seto replied gently, fighting to keep his own tears back.

"Big—big brother..." Mokuba sobbed, burying his head in his brother's chest. "Why does he want to hurt us? Why—why does he hate us? Why does he want to separate us? Why,_ Seto...?"_

Feeling his brother's strong arms around him, Mokuba was silenced as he sank into the comfort of Seto's presence. His brother gently massaged his small back, rocking him back and forth. "Seto?" Mokuba's eyes closed, and his sobbing quieted.

The brown-haired boy didn't reply. He couldn't. The tears stopped him. Without thinking, he let them flow, disregarding all that Gozaburo had said about crying being a weakness. "Mokuba..." Seto lowered his forehead to his brother's head resting on his chest. "No one...no one_ will ever separate us. It's-it's going to be all right, Mokuba-kun..." he repeated softy. His voice faded as sobs overpowered him._

*It's all right...*

But he knew it wasn't.

~End Flashback~

Seto looked down at the boy clutching him tightly. The teenager hadn't cried after that. Neither had Gozaburo managed to separate them.

*But he did give one hell of a try.*

Seto was well aware that Mokuba still held the fear that one day, his brother wouldn't come home.

"No one's going to tear us apart, Mokuba," Seto reminded him, pulling the boy close. *_Especially_ not another Kaiba,* he added mentally. "Now we have to go, little brother. We'll be back soon. Got it, Mokuba?"

The black-haired boy nodded, blinking to keep back his tears. "Y-yeah..." he sniffed. "Whatever you say, big brother." A smile tilted the corners of his mouth. "Just remember...tomorrow's my birthday. If you come back, that'll be my present." He paused. "What did you get me, anyway?

"You think I'd actually _tell_ you?" Seto smiled briefly, gently disengaging the boy's grip. "Don't worry, little brother. I'll be back. You can could on that."

With that the teenagers were gone, and Mokuba was left standing alone in the mansion.

Alone.


	12. The Sacrifice Of Winning

12 The Sacrifice Of Winning

This chapter is **_LOUSY._**

I suck at writing this stuff...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

//Skin against skin, blood and bone//

//You're all by yourself, but you're not alone//

//You wanted in//

//Now you're here//

//Driven by hate, consumed by fear//

//Let the bodies hit the floor//

Drowning Pool—"Bodies"

Nemuriko Midian was ready. Ready to fight. Ready to get even. Ready to—in his own words—"kick some serious butt."

So were the others...

_Ready for revenge._

****

Midian slowed his run to a careful jog. "Where to now, Seto?" he called quietly over his shoulder.

"Left." Seto indicated. "There's a side entrance that's hard to access. Noah probably—_probably_—left it unguarded."

"Wait!" Campbell gasped. Rounding the corner, she quickly ducked behind some bushes with a convenient view. Without a word, the two teens followed.

"What is it? Why'd you stop?" Midian asked his sister. Campbell pointed at the side door, in full view of where they hid.

The black-haired boy looked and scowled. "Dammit! The door's guarded, all right! How the hell are we gonna get in?"

Campbell scanned the three men standing before their only possible entrance. "We'll need a distraction..."

Midian sweatdropped. "Why is it that whenever you say that, I get the feeling that you're talking about _me?!"_

His twin sister smirked. "Unless you'd rather let KC ruin the world..."

The black haired teenager gulped. "Never mind. I'm going."

Ten minutes later, the last guard collapsed unconscious. Midian motioned the others to follow him.

Once inside, the three slipped noiselessly down a deserted hallway. Seto stopped before an open ventilation duct.

"We can travel faster here," he noted. "Not to mention the fact that we'll be unseen..."

In the air ducts, Midian glanced down at the hall they had just left. A few men were walking by.

A chill went down his spine as he realized how close they had come to getting caught.

Campbell's hushed voice interrupted his thoughts. "Midian! You coming?"

Nodding, he slid along after the other two.

About fifteen minutes of crawling had passed, when suddenly Seto froze.

"What is it?" muttered Midian.

The brown-haired teenager didn't reply. Instead, he opened the grating at his left. *This is it...*

Midian was the last to slither from the duct. He closed their exit.

"Where are-" he began, stopping as he recognized the place. "Father's office!"

Campbell gave him a weird look. "It's mine now, remember."

"Not anymore." Seto pointed at the name on the desk. "This belongs to a Meikai Ryumi."

_"Ryumi?!"_ Midian stared. "Could that be the same kid I beat up five years ago?!"

"Meikai's not a popular family name, niisan," Campbell reminded him. "It probably _is."_

A new voice joined in. "Yes. It is."

The three whirled towards the dark corner. _"Huh?!"_

Meikai Ryumi emerged from the darkness. He was slightly shorter than Midian, and had blond hair and brown eyes.

Midian steeled himself for a fight. "So you work for the bastard now."

Ryumi shook his head. "Don't touch me," he warned. "Because I never _wanted _to work for Noah." He turned away. "Norio made me."

"Your brother."

Ryumi nodded. "Let me help you," he pleaded. "I know what's going on in Kaiba Corp now that Noah's here. Just _get me away _from that_ psycho,_ Noah!"

"What do you mean?" Seto asked steadily.

"He knew I wanted to quit helping. He knows _everything,_ even if I tell no one. He said that if I quit, he'd kill me!" His brown eyes went wide with fear.

Campbell glanced at Midian, who reluctantly nodded. "Okay," she said finally. "Where is he now?"

Ryumi hurried to the door and quietly opened it. "Probably in the testing room. He's been testing every single bit if splicing he can get his hands on."

"Domo." Seto nodded to the boy. "Let's go."

Midian paused. "Ryumi?"

"Huh?"

"Thanks."

****

The testing room was _very_ quiet—_too_ quiet—when the teenagers reached it.

"Before we go in..." Seto turned. "Splicing sound off."

The twins sighed. They had gone through this check _so_ many times during experiments...

"I have amakaze," Midian spoke up. "The wind."

"Erekiteru." Campbell almost grinned. "Electricity."

"And I have aisu. The ice." The brown-haired teenager leaned against the door. "I don't usually fight this way—I duel—but...let's _move."_

Midian scowled. *_I,_ on the other hand, _always_ fight this way.*

On the count of three, the door was forced, and they burst in.

"So...we _finally_ meet." The voice's owner was unmistakable. "I've been waiting for you."

Midian's fists tightened so hard that his nails dug into his palms. "And, before this meeting is over, you will have _died_...Noah." He could feel his anger rising.

The light-haired boy smirked. "You _wish_. I heard you talking outside. You have fire, ice and electricity? I have those three...and fire..._and_ quantum within me."

Seto's eyes widened. "But the human body can only hold _one_ element...and a small dose at that!"

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Who says I'm completely human? Guess you should have listened to Campbell when she told you to shut the program down."

Campbell shot Seto a helpless glance. He didn't respond.

Nemuriko Midian stepped forward. "You said you've been waiting for us. How did you know we were coming? And why the hell did you...kill my father...of all things?" His chest heaved. "You would have killed Mokuba if Seto hadn't been there!"

"Your father was weak. And he was too close to discovering the truth before it was time. And why _shouldn't_ I?!" Noah shot back. "When one wounds his enemy's loved ones, he ultimately wounds the enemy _himself!_ The advantage to having the power is using it to prolong your enemy's suffering as long as is humanly possible!"

"In that case...!" Midian clenched his hands. "Release the power. Amakaze!"

Noah blocked the gust before sending back a fiery one of his own.

The black-haired teenager dropped to the ground and fired the wind again. His target deflected the power right back to him...!

Rolling to avoid it, Midian sprinted for Noah, locking him in a vise grip.

"How the hell could you do something like that?! How'd you deflect my attack?!" he demanded. "Answer me, you _weak one."_

In spite of the pain Midian was putting him through, Noah smirked. "The quantum splicing has many...many powers."

Before the teenager could react, Noah attacked. Swinging Midian off-balance, he tossed him to the ground, pinning him still.

"Who's the weak one now?" he hissed. "Huh?"

A blast of ice threw the boy to the ground. Seto quickly moved forward. "That's for almost killing my brother...and repossessing my company."

Noah struggled to his feet. "It was my father's, so it is mine by right! You repossessed it from _me!_ This corporation...i-is _mine,"_ he repeated, breathing heavily.

"If you wanted it so bad, why didn't you get it when you heard that Gozaburo was dead?" Seto demanded.

Noah was weakening. Campbell knew it. Positioning herself just behind him, she let loose all of the electrical splicing she had gotten.

He was screaming. *Take _that_.* A twinge of guilt entered her mind as she saw him collapse. Noah was just a boy...about Mokuba's _size,_ if not his age.

*But he killed my father, so no mercy for _him._*

Midian literally saw red. He stood over Noah, raising a fist. "I hope you _burn_ in _hell,"_ he hissed. "Burn like the shit you are."

"No! Please!" Noah shouted. He might as well have tried to stop a volcano with a hose. Midian swung down...

His fist struck the ground. Midian sprang back, holding his stinging hand. Noah was on his feet. "I _told_ you the quantum splicing has unlimited powers!" His eyes caught sight of the testing pod. "And now I can finish you _all..."_ The light-haired boy ran into the pod, flicked the controls, and focused its energy.

"One blast of my kaki firepower, and _everyone_ will die!" he exclaimed as the pod came to full power.

"Are you _insane?!"_ demanded Campbell. "That will kill all of us, _including_ you!"

The boy smiled a sick little smile. "Your point?"

Set scowled. *_None of us_ are going to die. Not if _I_ can help it.*

He aimed.

He fired.

Seto moved.

Neither of the twins could believe what they were seeing. They saw Seto use the aisu power.

Saw Noah easily burn through his defense.

Saw Seto give way as the wall of flames closed in around him...

They both felt and heard the following explosion.


	13. Truth Hurts

13 Truth Hurts

//Say a prayer for me//

//'Cause I can barely breathe//

//I'm suffering//

//And I can't take it//

//Because of me//

//No one will ever see//

//This side of me//

//If I don't make it//

//It's like I can't wake up//

//It's like I can't get up//

//It's like I can't remember who I used to be//

//Am I running from you//

//Or am I running from me?//

//Clear a path for me//

//'Cause I can barely see//

//I'm stumbling//

//And I can't shake it//

//It's up to me//

//To save myself from me//

//My enemy//

//But I can't face it//

Trust Company—"Running From Me"

Mokuba flicked off the Playstation 2 in his room and set down the controls, rubbing his stinging eyes.

Three hours of _Watchtower Raimei._ A new record.

The boy glanced up at his digital clock. 10:30 PM. He was also setting a waiting record. It had been three and a half hours.

*So far.*

Somewhere downstairs, a door opened. Mokuba heard hushed voices conversing hurriedly. Leaping up, he threw open his door and rushed down the stairs.

*Seto!*

"Mokuba."

Mokuba's smile faded as he saw who it was. "Midian...? Wh-where's Seto?"

__

"Whatever you do...tell him the truth..." Midian took a deep breath. He kept seeing what had happened just a half-hour ago...

"Where is he?" Mokuba repeated, his voice becoming panicked.

"There was an explosion." Campbell said quietly. The rest was understood...

Mokuba's dark-gray eyes dilated until they were almost black. He backed away from the twins until he hit the wall. He stood immobile, not believing what he had just heard. His face went pale and his lips moved, but no sound came. "T-tell me you're...kidding," he managed to whisper.

Midian tilted his head. "I...wish I could," he said softly.

"No." The boy shook his head. "No!"

Midian and Campbell exchanged a distressed glance. Disbelief. An expected reaction.

"He _promised!_ He _promised_ that he'd come back!" Mokuba's eyes were full of tears. "My big brother would _never_ lie to me! _Seto doesn't lie!"_

Before either of the twins could stop him, the boy sprinted out the door, running from the mansion and down the street.

"Mokuba!" Midian moved to go after him, but Campbell held his arm.

"Let him go, Midian," she said, her voice strangely quiet. "He needs some time to...absorb all this, ya know." The girl glanced at the ground. "It's not _every_ day that your niisama dies and leaves you his company and a fortune, anyway."

The black-haired teenager's body relaxed. "But he'll get lost..."

Campbell shook her head. "He won't. I have a good idea of where he's gone."

Midian looked back at the corner around which Mokuba had disappeared. "The graveyard."

****

He ran as if all hell had broken loose. He ran as if for his life. He ran like one gone mad. His feet took him faster and faster; past the Domino Museum, past Domino Elementary, past the Kame Game Shop, and down the floodlighted sidewalks.

__

No one will ever_ tear us apart._

*No one...* Tears began to stream down his face as he ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch. He streaked across a strangely crowded street, barely missing an oncoming truck. Panting hard, his lungs felt like they were on fire. He could scarcely breathe. 

__

We'll be back soon. Got it, Mokuba?

The world around him blurred as tears fell more thickly. He could barely see, but he knew where he was going.

__

The graveyard.

The cemetery.

There was the street. He turned down it, ignoring the pain stabbing his short legs.

*Almost there...*

__

The trees...the big, white house...the park...then...

Every nerve in his body was shrieking for rest. His head swam.

*No. Ignore your pain. _Just keep moving._*

__

Keep moving...

At this point, he didn't care if he ran himself to death. _Anything_ to keep his mind diverted from what Midian had just told him.

__

The church...the gates...the cemetery...

He was there. He had survived. But he couldn't bring himself to stop. Racing through the neat rows of headstones, he threw himself down between a familiar pair.

One of the gravestones bore a death date identical to his birthday. The other's death date was three years after that...

He buried his head in his arms as he lay on his stomach, desperately trying to regain his breath. The soreness in his chest and legs intensified as his tears fell faster, mixing with the sweat on his face. His heart thundered so fiercely in his chest that he thought it would burst. His panicked breathing finally slowed, he recovered his sense of being...and his scattered memory as well.

__

You think I'd actually tell_ you?_

Rolling onto his back between the gravestones of his parents, he stared up at the starry sky, his harsh sobs breaking the night's silence.

__

What if Noah separates us...like Gozaburo almost did? What will I do then?

No one_ will_ ever_ separate us, Mokuba._

Don't worry, little brother. I'll be back.

He promised...

"You promised, Seto!!" he screamed at the clear sky, half-expecting to be struck by lightning. He rose to his knees. Nothing happened. "You promised that _no one_ would tear us apart...that you'd come back! Y-you promised, big brother! And you _lied!!"_

He pounded the gravestones with his fists until they were numb with pain. "You _liar!"_

Overcome by the knowledge of loneliness now that not even his _brother_ was with him, he sank to the ground, crying his heart out.

The place was still.

Quiet.

He was alone.

__

Alone...

No, wait. He wasn't. Footsteps sounded behind him.

*Go away,* he silently yelled. *Leave me to die.*

But the person stooped down and picked him up.

Alarm racked his brain. He wildly struggled, kicking and screaming with what little energy he had left within him. Tears fell as if there was no end to them.

"Hey, hey," a familiar voice soothed. "Take it easy, kid."

He still wouldn't stop. "Let me go, Midian!" he cried. "You're hurting me! Put me down, and let me _die!"_

In spite of the boy's flailing arms and legs, Midian drew him close.

"You're not going to die anytime soon, Mokuba," he said, forcing steadiness into his voice. A fist caught him in the stomach. "Not while you have this much energy, anyway. Now stay still or _else!"_

Silenced by the sternness in the older boy's voice, Mokuba's sobbing quieted. Suddenly realizing how tired he was, the black-haired boy closed his eyes. Gently, Midian carried the still boy back the way they had come.

"I _know_ it's gonna be hard, Mokuba-kun," he murmured. "But _sometime_ after this, you're going to _have_ to pick up your life and...move on."

Mokuba sniffled. "But...h-he was my...brother..."

"I know," Midian said softly. "He was mine, too."


	14. Weak

14 Weak

To ITSAME: Was Midian being symbolic about him and Seto being brothers? Yes.

To anyone who cares: This is the last chapter of the story. *dodges as cruel readers throw knives at her* Oh...fuck...

__

Yaaiiiieee!!! *bandages knife wound* Chill, y'all!! Don't worry! I'm working on a sequel.

But that depends on how much you review...^_~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

//Somewhere there's speaking//

//It's already coming in//

//Oh, and it's rising at the back of your mind//

//You never could get it//

//Unless you were fed it//

//Now you're here and you don't know why//

Vertical Horizon—"Everything You Want"

__

See the people out in the world. See them whisper about the mourning boy. See them laugh!

__

"Ha!" they say. "He is weak. Weak!_ Just like his brother!"_

Hear the boy scream in his defense. "I am not_ weak...and neither is...was my brother!"_

"Then what are_ you?"_

Silence. The boy wipes away a few silent tears. *Seto...*

The demons join the assault. "See!" they mock. "Only a weakling would shed tears for one already dead. If, as you say, your brother was not weak, then why should you_ be?"_

No response.

The demons and the people laugh evilly as they leave him to suffer.

They leave the boy to fall...

Fall...

Into a quicksand of hideous darkness.

****

It came in the night. The chanting. Little voices. Chilling words.

Bind the spirit

Lock the soul

Injure the boy

Bring back the turmoil of old

Mokuba sat up in bed, gasping from the nightmare. *It was just a dream...* He found himself about to go to his brother's room, wanting his brother's comforting touch; his calm, soothing words...

But Seto was gone. The black-haired boy suddenly remembered what Midian and Campbell had told him, three nights back.

Mokuba slowly lay back down, fighting the tears that threatened to come. He was exhausted from the rush of the last few days, but he hadn't been able to sleep.

*Big brother, if you loved me...if you really cared for me...then why did you leave me? Why did you die? You told me once that only the weak ones die. Does that mean you weren't strong; that you were weak? But that _can't_ be true, Seto... You...you were the only strength in my life!*

*_I_ was the one who deserved to die! I am not strong...*

He remembered the dream.

__

If, as you say, your brother was not weak, then why should you_ be?_

Sobbing quietly, the boy closed his dark eyes, wishing he had died with his brother.

__

Sleep did not come.

****

__

Ignore your pain.

Mokuba swallowed hard as he looked up at the church.

__

Just keep moving.

The boy forced himself to step forward, following the twins inside.

__

Keep moving...

He froze when he saw the open coffin. Tears were stinging his eyes again.

__

Don't worry, little brother. I'll be back.

Seto doesn't lie.

*Yes, he does.*

__

No he doesn't.

****

They had reached the graveyard.

Mokuba was silent as the coffin was lowered into the grave.

*Did you lie to me because you were weak?* He closed his eyes as unwanted tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Mokuba." Midian spoke quietly. "L-let's go."

The boy didn't move. He stared at the grave for what seemed like forever. And he was crying harder and harder...

"Mokuba!" The black-haired teenager put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Are you all right?"

__

He is weak! Just like his brother!

Mokuba turned away from him, his dark eyes unresponsive.

*I am _not_ weak...*

__

It seems you're having some trouble

In dealing with these changes

Living with these changes

Oh, no

The world is a scary place

Now that you've woken up the demon in me


End file.
